Safety mechanical refrigerator door closure



Dec. 23, 1958 s. A. MOREHOUSE 6 SAFETY MECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR DOORCLOSURE Filed July 15, 1955 4 Sheets-$heet 1 59 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 4: gia? Dec. 23, 1958 s. A. MCREHOUSE 2,365,313

SAFETY MECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR DOOR CLOSURE Filed July 15, 1955 4Sheets-Sheet 2 5 \o \l- Y\\ \\\\1 V N a y b \9 INVENTOR 5 .7M re 71:?use ATTORNEYS Dec. 23, 1958 s. A. MOREHOUSE SAFETY MECHANICALREFRIGERATOR DOOR CLOSURE Filed July 15, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORHfl/Vorehouae ATTORNEYS @N on Dec. 23, 1958 s. A. MOREHOUSE 6 SAFETYMECHANICAL REFRIGERATOR DOOR CLOSURE Filed July 15, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet4 ATTORNEYS when E i atented Dec. 23, 1958 SAFETY MECHANHCALREFRIGERATOR DUUR CLGSURE Silas A. Morehouse, Centerville, Va.

Application .luiy 15, 1955, Serial No. 522,2titl 9 Claims. (Cl.1tl9t53.5)

The present invention relates to safety mechanical refrigerator doorclosures, and more particularly to a door closure of this type whichcompletely eliminates the possibility of a child becoming locked in therefrigerator.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a safety mechanicalrefrigerator door closure which will become unlatched upon the slightmovement of a child who has become trapped in the refrigerator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed which becomes inoperative upon the removal of a shelf.

A further object of the invention is to provide a safety closure of theclass described, in which the refrigerator door cannot be sealed it ashelf cooperating with the closure has been removed.

1n the refrigerator field a tragic loss of childrens lives have occurreddue to the fact that refrigerators have been discarded, containingoperative latches, in which children have become locked and suffocatedwith no means to either extricate themselves or attract attention due tothe insulation on the box. Many States have passed laws prohibiting thediscarding of refrigerators with the locks in operative condition. Thishas aided in reducing the problem to some extent. However, due to thecomplete impossibility of locating the former owner of a discarded box,the problem has not been completely eliminated. The instant inventionhas been constructed so that the box will be locked as efficiently as isdone by the prior art devices, and in addition will not lock should acooperating shelf be removed or moved from its normal position.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the followingspecification when considered in the light of the attached drawings, inwhich:

Figure l is a side elevation of the invention, with some parts thereofshown in section for purposes of clarity;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the latch structure andkeeper in safe position;

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse cross section of the device takenalong the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detailed cross section showing of the latch andkeeper in safe position, taken along the line "i i of Figure 2, lookingin the direction of the arrows;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the invention, shown attached to arefrigerator door and Wall with parts shown in cross section forclarity;

Figure 6 is a detailed view of the latch spring plunger connection tothe link, shown partly in cross section for clarity;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention,showing a modified form of link-operating mechanism with the links andkeeper shown in safe position, and

Figure 8 is a side elevation of a second modified form of the invention,showing a modified link-operating mech enism with the links and keepershown in locked position.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like reference numeralsindicate like parts throughout the several figures, the referencenumeral 10 indicates generally a conventional refrigerator having a door11 which is hinged thereto. A gasket 12, shown hereto attached to therefrigerator ltl, operates to seal the door 11 to the box lit. The door11 comprises an inner wall 13 and an outer wall M. A latch'casing ispositioned between the inner wall 13 and the outer wall 14 and includesa pair of spaced-apart side walls 16, an inwardly and upwardly slopedtop wall 17 and a front wall 18 extending between side Walls 16. Thelatch casing 15 is secured to the front wall 14 of the door ill by meansof securing elements 19.

Within the casing 115, between the side walls 16, a dog leg link 20 ismounted on a pivot 21. The dog leg link 20 comprises a pair of identicalside members 22 which are spaced apart at one end by means of a bushing23 on the pivot 21. Washers 24 are also carried on the pivot 21 to spacethe side members 22 of the link 24D from the side walls 16 of the casing15. The link 20 is provided with a cross pin 25 intermediate the ends ofthe link 20, and a bushing 26 is mounted on the cross pin 25 between theside members 22. The outer end of the clog leg link 20 carries a pivotpin 27 extending between the sides 22 thereof, with a cylindrical latchbolt 28 positioned between the sides 22. A latching link 29 consists ofa pair of link arms 3% positioned over the outer ends of the cross pins27 outside of the side members 22 of the dog leg link Ztl. The arms 3t?of the latching link 29 extend from the cross pin and are provided attheir free ends with a cross pin 31 which extend between the arms 30). Abell crank link 32 includes a pair of arms 33, each of which are mountedat one end inside of the arms 3tl of the link 29 and spaced apart by aroller bushing 34 on the cross pin Ed. A pivot passes through thecentral portion 36 of the hell crank link 32 and through the side walls16 of the iatch casing 315, pivotally securing the hell crank link tothe side walls to. A stop 37 extends between the side Walls 16 and ispositioned to engage both legs 38 and 39 of the bell crank link 32 tolimit the movement of the link 32 in each direction.

A rectangular shaft 4ft extends through a slot 41 in the upwardly slopedtop wall if) and projects downwardly at an angle toward the dog leg link26. A shaft 4t) carries a saddle 42 at the lower end thereof, as is bestshown in Figure 6. The saddle is provided with a transverse groove 43which is adapted to seat on the bushing 26 of the dog reg link 2%. Awasher 44 is positioned about the shaft itl and in engagement with theupper surface of the saddle 42. A coil spring i-S is positioned over theshaft 4d in engagement with the washer at one end and the lower face ofthe sloped top wall 17 at the other end. The coil spring 45 is adaptedto press the saddle 42 toward the bushing 26, thus applying pressure onthe links 20, 29 and 32. An upwardly and inwardly extending tubularguide 46 is secured to the front wall of the latch casing 15 and carriesa latch operator pin 47 therein for sliding-reciprocation. The latch pin47 is adapted to engage the bushing 34, and upon inward movement, tomove the links 29 and 32 to the full line position as shown in Figure 1.A hand-operating lever 48 is secured with a pair of spaced plates on thefront of the door lit. The lever 43 is pivoted as at 55% and isconnected to the pin 47 by means of a slot and a cross pin 52, the crosspin 52 engaging in the slot 51 to move the latch pin 47 inwardly andoutwardly upon movement of the lever 48.

A keeper 53 is formed with a keeper slot 54 in the upper outer edgethereof and with a latch tripping surface 55 in the lower outer facethereof. The keeper 53 is pivoted by means of a pivot boss 56 which iscarried by an angle iron member 57 secured to the face of the box. Ascrew 58 engages the outer face of the keeper .3 53 and prevents thekeeper 53 from becoming detached from the pivot boss 56, keeper 53 beingfreely revolvable about the pivot 56. An arm 59 is secured to the keeper53 by means of welding or the like and extends outwardly and downwardlyto engage the front edge of the shelf 6t) contained in the refrigeratorit The arm 59, in engagement with the shelf 6t prevents the keeper 53from being revolved in a counterclockwise direction, as shown in Figure1.

it should be noted particularly in Figure l of the drawings that thecenter of the cross pin 31, with the lock in unlatched position, isforward of the line drawn between the pin 27 and the pin 35, thus it canbe seen that when the parts are in this position the downward pressureof the spring 45, on the dog leg link 26, tends to move the pin 31 tothe right, as viewed in Figure 1, while the stop 37 engaging with theleg 38 of the bell crank link 32 prevents further movement in thisdirection. When a refrigerator door 11 is closed, the bushing 34 engagesthe surface 55 of the keeper 53 and the bushing 34 is moved to the leftas viewed in Figure 1. As this movement takes place, the links 29 and 32break and the spring 45 pressing downwardly on the dog leg link 2t)causes the cylindrical bolt 28 to move into the keeper 53, assuming theposition as shown in Figure 8. In opening the refrigerator door, once ithas been locked in this manner, the lever 48 is pulled manually forcingthe latch pin 47 inwardly against the bushing 34. This will move thelinks 32 and 29 connected thereto outwardly at their juncture until theyhave passed a line drawn through their pivots so that they have becomelocked in unlatched position.

In Figure 2 of the drawings there is illustrated the safe position ofthe keeper 53 when the shelf 60. is displaced. refrigerator is closedand a child should move the shelf 60 upwardly and out of position, thearm 59 on the keeper 53 is permitted to swing inwardly of the box 16 andkeeper slot 54 will be moved outwardly and downwardly in an arc aboutthe pivot 56 under the pressure exerted downwardly by the cylindricalbolt 28 under the force of the coil spring 45 until the elements aremoved into the position as shown in Figure 2 with the inner wall 13 ofthe door 11. spaced. from the gasket 12. It can also be seen that shouldthe door 11 be open while the keeper 53 is in the position asillustrated in Figure 2, and it be swung to a closed position, thekeeper 53 will engage the cylindrical bolt 28 to prevent the door 11from coming into engagement with the gasket 32.

The latch casing is positioned sufficiently high in the door 11 so thatthe arm 59 of the keeper 53 is in engagement with an upper shelf 66 ofthe box 10. The shelf 66 is so positioned in the box 16 that a childcould not under any curcumstances get above the shelf. Hence, it can bereadily seen that a child must, if it is going to get into the box 10,get under shelf 66 which is cooperating with the arm 59 of the keeper53. And in this circumstance, should the door 11 become latched thechild, in panic, will naturally raise up against the shelf 69 moving itto a position which will release the keeper 53. Furthermore, if it isdesirable to completely prevent the closing of the refrigerator door 11,the shelf 66 can be completely removed and the door 11 cannot then becompletely closed.

Referring now to Figure 7, a modified form of linkoperating means isdisclosed. In this form of the invention the dog leg link 20, latchinglink 29, bell crank link 32 and stop 37 are each mounted within thecasing 15 in the same manner as is disclosed for the preferred form ofthe invention illustrated in Figures 1 through 6. The. link mechanism ofthe modification is spring biased by spring 45 operating on. saddle 42,,also in the same manner as illustrated for the preferred form.Furthermore, the box 10 is provided with a keeper 53' having it theshelf 66) is in position at the time the an arm 59 constructedidentically with the keeper 53 and arm 59 of the preferred form of theinvention. The cam plate 61, which is pivoted at its upper end to thepivot 25, has an inwardly projecting cam surface 62 which is inengagement with the roller bushing 34 positioned between the latchinglink 29 and the bell crank link 32. The cam plate 61 carries a roller 63positioned thereon for rotation. A sleeve 64 extends through the frontwall 18 of the casing 15 and carries a latch pin 65 for slidingreciprocation therein. The inner end 66 of the latch pin 65 is adaptedto engage the roller 63 to move the cam plate 61 against the bushing6-4- so that the movement of the latch pin 65 is multiplied by the camplate 61 and the bushing 34 will be moved a greater distance than themovement of the end 66 of the latch pin 65. A handle 48 mounted on pivot50 within side plates 49 is adapted to move the latch pin 65 through themedium of a cross pin 52 and a slot 51 in the same manner as wasdisclosed by the preferred form of the invention in Figures 1 through 6.

In Figure 8 of the drawings another modification of the sourcemultiplying link operator is disclosed wherein the dog leg link 20,latching link 29 and bell crank 32 are all mounted in a casing in thesame n'nnner as the same elements are mounted in the casing 15 of thepreferred form of the invention. These elements are spring pressed bythe coil spring 45 operating through the saddle 42 carried by the shaft46 as is the preferred form, and they cooperate with a keeper 53carrying an arm 59, all as described for the preferred form. In the formof the invention as illustrated in Figure 8, the latch operatingmechanism includes a second dog leg link 67 which is pivotally securedbetween the side walls 16 by means of a pivot 68. A link 69 is pivotallysecured by pivot 76 to the upper end of the dog leg link 67 at one endthereof and at the other end is carried by the pivot 31 connecting thelinks 29 and 32. A link 71 is pivoted in the casing 15' by means of apivot 72 and carries a roller 73 on a pivot 74 at a mid point of thelink 71. A connector link 75 is pivoted by pivot 76 to the lower end ofthe link 71 and to the central point of the dog leg link 67 by means ofpivot 77 which extends through the other end of the connector link 75. Asleeve 78 extends through the front wall 18' of the casing 15 andslidably supports a latch pin 79. The inner end 80 of the latch pin '79is adapted to engage the roller 73. A handle 81 is pivotally secured tothe door 11 by means not shown and carries a slot 82 at the lower endthereof which is in driving engagement with a pin 83 extendingtransversely through the outer end of the latch pin 79. Upon outwardswinging movement of the handle 81, the latch pin 79 engages the roller73 moving the link inwardly, which in turn moves links 75, 67 and 69 ina direction to move the pivot 31 and the bolt 28 to an unlatchedposition. It can be seen, with the relationship of elements in this formof the invention, that a very small movement of the latching pin 79 willcreate a sufficient movement of the bolt 28 to unlatch the door 11 ofthe box 10.

It should be noted that the operation of the two modified forms of theinvention, insofar as the latching and unlatching are concerned, areexactly the same with the additional means to multiply the forces beingprovided in the two modified forms of the invention.

It should be understood that while the invention has been disclosed ascooperating with a shelf of a mechanical refrigerator it can be usedwith any movable partition, divider, or wall, in any cabinet having alatched door.

Having thus described the preferred forms of the invention, it should beunderstood that numerous modifications and structural adaptations may beresorted to without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A safety closure for the door of a refrigerator of the type having ashelf comprising: a vertically swinging bolt mounted in saidrefrigerator door, means operatively associated with said bolt forbiasing said bolt in a latching and safety direction, means on said boltfor releasably securing said bolt in unlatched position, manuallyoperative means on said door for moving said bolt to unlatched position,a keeper pivotally secured to said refrigerator, and means on saidkeeper cooperating with the forward edge of said shelf for maintainingsaid keeper in position to cooperate with said bolt to maintain saiddoor in closed position, said keeper being adapted upon displacement ofsaid shelf to swing, due to the pressure from said biased bolt, to aposition releasing said bolt.

2. A safety closure for the door of a shelf-equipped refrigeratorcomprising: a movable bolt mounted in said refrigerator door, meansassociated with said bolt for normally biasing said bolt in a latchingand safety direction, manually operative means for moving said bolt inan unlatching direction, a movable keeper secured to said refrigeratorand adapted to cooperate with said bolt, and means on said keepercooperating with said shelf for maintaing said keeper against movement,said keeper being adapted upon displacement of said shelf to move underpressure from said biased bolt to a position releasing said bolt.

3. In a shelf-equipped refrigerator of the type having a hinged door, asafety door closure comprising a bolt mounted in said door and normallybiased in a latching direction, manually operative means on said doorfor moving said bolt in an unlatching direction, and a keeper for saidbolt on said refrigerator in contact with a shelf thereof, said keeperbeing adapted upon displacement of said shelf to release said bolt.

4. A safety closure for the door of a shelf-equipped refrigeratorcomprising: a bolt, a pair of links pivotally securing said bolt to saiddoor, a second pair of links secured to said door, an operating rollercarried by one end of said second pair of links, a third pair of linkscarried at one end by the end of said second pair of links carrying saidoperating roller, and at their opposite ends by the end of saidfirst-named links carrying said bolt, means associated with saidoperating roller to move said second and said third pair of links to aposition beyond a line extending through the axis of the pivot of saidsecond pair of links and said bolt, means biasing said bolt in a latchedand safety direction, and a keeper cooperating with said bolt, saidkeeper normally moving said bolt to latching position upon closing ofsaid door with said keeper cooperating with a shelf in said refrigeratorwhereby displacement of said shelf will release said bolt.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bolt is carried by linkmeans pivoted to said door.

6. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said bolt is pivotallycarried by a plurality of links.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said manually operative meansfor moving said bolt includes a plurality of distance amplifying linkssecured between said bolt and said door.

8. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said manually operative meansfor moving said bolt includes a plurality of distance amplifying linkssecured between said bolt and said door.

9. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said manually operative meansfor moving said bolt includes a plurality of distance amplifying linkssecured between said bolt and said door.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,847,564 Hood Mar. 1, 1932 1,940,537 Faber Dec. 19, 1933 2,342,250Burke Feb. 22, 1944 2,558,233 Burke June 26, 1951 2,726,113 Pisani Dec.6, 1955 2,733,090 Coplen Jan. 31, 1956 2,741,505 Courney Apr. 10, 19562,764,874 Sharpe Oct. 2, 1956 2,767,011 Buckley Oct. 16, 1956

